Chasing Alexander: a realistic look into one Marine's war experience

Chasing Alexander: A Marine’s Journey Across Iraq and Afghanistan by Christopher Martin is his personal account of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a falling college student obsessed with Alexander the Great, Martin enlisted in the US Marine Corps. His goal: to become a different man, a man like Alexander. Chronicling his early life in small town Pennsylvania where nothing happens to his struggles in high school and college and leading to his decision to join the Marines. From his difficulty at boot camp to his disappointing deployment to Iraq, Martin fears he will never live up to Alexander’s example. Soon after, Martin and his unit are sent to Marjah, nicknamed “the bleeding ulcer” of Afghanistan. There he faces heat, fleas and a hidden enemy. As the firefights increase and the casualties are becoming names he knows, Martin struggles to control his emotions and his newfound sense of power. He may physically survive the war, but will he keep his sanity? 

Chasing Alexander is a haunting, fast-paced war memoir of a young man who thought only about the glory of war and not the cost. A book I could not put down as Martin’s account of his experiences are captivating. Interwoven with history facts about Alexander the Great, Martin gives an unflinching, no-holds-bar account of the seductive side of war and its horrifying consequences. His determination to be a grunt, an ordinary Joe, is quickly thwarted when his intelligence puts him in more important roles including leadership. With the recent events in Afghanistan in the back of my mind, I read Martin’s words with baited breath. His account of Operation Moshtarak (February 13, 2010 - December 7, 2010) aka the Battle of Marjah was particularly riveting. It is an honest, poignant look into an experience that many of us will never have. It is a reminder about the cost of war particularly to the men and women who fight it. I highly recommend Chasing Alexander. 

Chasing Alexander is available in hardcover and eBook.